The history and beauty of Solvang
1817 was a big year for Scotland
Artistic couple depicts community’s rural glory in new exhibit - B1
Columnist Elizabeth Stewart dives into the history as she discusses Snuff Mull - B4
Our 166th Year
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MON DAY, O C TOBE R 18 , 2 021
Evacuation orders lifted, Los Padres access restricted Alisal Fire containment up to 78% By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS
A blue jay stands on rocks above Refugio Canyon in the Alisal Fire burn area on Friday.
The Alisal Fire spans 17,254 acres, and firefighters have contained 78% of the fire’s perimeter as of Sunday evening’s update. The remaining gaps in containment are steep, hard-to-reach areas, such as one stretch above Las Flores Canyon. Firefighters are monitoring the uncontained perimeter. As of 1 p.m. Sunday, all evacuation warnings and orders were lifted. The fire area located south of W. Camino Cielo, east of State Route 1 and west of El Capitán State Beach is limited to residents and those on official business. Those in the area without proof of residency or not on business
may be cited by law enforcement. Southern California Edison employees will be replacing power poles in the area. Los Padres National Forest Supervisor Kevin Elliott signed an order Saturday prohibiting the entrance into forestlands, including roads and trails, west of Brush Peak, approximately. The order is effective until Nov. 16, or further notice. A map of the closed area is available at fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_ DOCUMENTS/fseprd962168.pdf. Residents of the area may enter the closed area to go home. First responders are utilizing El Capitán State Beach, Refugio State Beach, Gaviota Beach and associated campgrounds for
Veterans honored for their service Haircuts, vaccines and more given at Santa Maria event
LEN WOOD PHOTOS
Army veteran Robert Ceja gets a haircut from Travis Cobb during the Santa Barbara County Veterans Stand Down Saturday in Santa Maria.
At left, Vietnam veteran Heraclio Lara, 81, waits in line with his wife Rufina. Above, veteran Joe Gonzales, his dog Chacho and Yolanda Bailey get escort help from Sr. Airman Daniel Sanchez.
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Santa Barbara City Council will decide whether to extend the safe-shelter program for residents of fire-prone encampments during its meeting Tuesday. The program is set to expire Nov. 1. The City Council received an update on the program during its Sept. 14 meeting. The safeshelter program was deemed a success by the city for its ability to reach homeless people and attain housing vouchers – but few participants have been able to find permanent housing. Currently, 40 formerly homeless people reside in the Rose Garden Inn in the Upper State neighborhood. The city’s nonprofit partner City Net has been operating the master lease and providing wraparound services since July 5 at a $1.6 million price tag. The Council has three options: extend the program for 30 days at a cost of $414,329, extend 90 days for $1,242,987 or let the contract expire. The funding would come from Measure C, a source of income that comes from sales tax. If the contract expires, City Net risks losing the progress it has made with the 40 Rose Garden Inn residents. Of those 40 participants, nine have housing vouchers in hand, 16 are in progress and 15 have the identification needed to obtain housing. But City Net is struggling to find available housing that will accept the vouchers. The Housing Authority has issued 89 Emergency Housing Vouchers this period, but only 22 have been applied to leases. The Housing Authority is trying to incentivize landlords to sign leases with vouchers. René Eyerly, acting sustainability and resilience codirector, told the City Council the program stopped cleaning up encampments and taking in residents when staff realized permanent housing was a problem. “We have a front loading problem,” councilmember Mike
Jordan said in his comments. “We’ve got 50 people in a motel, and we don’t have the next step in housing ready for them right now if they elect to go.” The city is looking for ways to create more housing for formerly homeless people. The city and Santa Barbara County are partnering in a project called Dignity Moves. It plans to establish 33 modular homes on county property for three years. The city is prioritizing people in high need who live downtown and along the waterfront for Dignity Moves. The city is working on an application for a HomeKey grant through the State, which funds master leases and other innovative housing ideas. Staff are also looking at a grant program through the State that targets encampments of 50 people or more, a size that puts smaller cities at a disadvantage. Smaller projects will also be awarded funds. The city has been allocated $1.8 million in HOME American Rescue Plan funds that can be used widely. Staff are still strategizing the best use for this money. The state budget also allocates $2.5 million to Santa Barbara County for homeless housing and mental health services. The Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County Continuum of Care received $2.7 million. The safe-shelter program is a pilot that can be used to secure grants and launch a permanent bridge-housing program in Santa Barbara. The city has large goals, but it first has to coordinate next steps for the 40 current participants. The City Council will discuss its options and receive updates from local shelters. The meeting begins at 2 p.m. Tuesday. It will be broadcast live on City TV Channel 18 and online at santabarbaraca.gov/ cap. To join the virtual meeting and make a public comment, go to attendee.gotowebinar.com/ register/7544011379969868045. email: ahanshaw@newspress.com
LOTTERY
i nsi d e Classified.............. B4 Life..................... B1-2 Obituaries............. A4
Rose Garden Inn residents struggle to find permanent housing NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
By DAVE MASON
email: dmason@newspress.com
City Council may extend homeless housing program By ANNELISE HANSHAW
NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
It meant a lot to Joe Gonzales, Heraclio Lara and Robert Ceja. They were among the hundreds of veterans who received help such as clothing, haircuts, COVID vaccines and flu shots Saturday during the annual Santa Barbara County Veterans Stand Down. Last year’s event was canceled because of the pandemic, but this year’s program took place as scheduled. And veterans, many of whom are homeless or otherwise in need of assistance, got help at Santa Maria Fairpark. That’s where the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department provided the COVID-19 and flu vaccines, and barbers and stylists donated their services. In addition, veterans received items such as hygiene products, towels, blankets, men’s and women’s long-sleeve T-shirts, shoes, baby diapers, shampoo and bars of soap. The veterans also received legal help and learned about opportunities for employment and training. They heard about California ID cards and programs such as veterans treatment court, social services and more. For more information, go to www.sbcountystandown.com.
staging, housing and access. These beaches and campgrounds are closed until Oct. 24. Motorists on Highway 101 should leave ample room for firefighters and their equipment and focus on the road, warns Los Padres National Forest officials. Firefighters faced “minimal to moderate” fire activity Sunday with cooler temperatures and increasing humidity. Crews focused on an uncontained stretch on the northwest corner. Spot fires flared up in areas of unburned vegetation and burned out. The cause of the fire remains undetermined. Sunday’s wind remained in single digits, though firefighters prepared for overnight Please see FIRE on A2
Sudoku................. B3 Sports ................A3-4 Weather................ A4
Saturday’s SUPER LOTTO: 1-35-36-43-44 Mega: 3
Sunday’s DAILY 4: 5-3-4-6
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 3-20-31-34-65 Mega: 18
Sunday’s FANTASY 5: 7-17-18-21-24
Sunday’s DAILY DERBY: 02-09-01 Time: 1:40.93
Saturday’s POWERBALL: 30-31-41-42-48 Meganumber: 3
Sunday’s DAILY 3: 6-2-8 / Midday 1-1-0